Visionaries only succeed together with implementers

A visionary leader can only succeed to the extent that they are part of a team that includes more practically minded people working together to accomplish the vision. Having only a “why” makes you a philosopher. Having a “why” with a team that can turn that into “how” and “what” is essential for success.

WHY-types are the visionaries, the ones with the overactive imaginations. They tend to be optimists who believe that all the things they imagine can actually be accomplished. HOW-types live more in the here and now. They are the realists and have a clearer sense of all things practical. WHY-types are focused on the things most people can’t see, like the future. HOW-types are focused on things most people can see and tend to be better at building structures and processes and getting things done. One is not better than the other, they are just different ways people naturally see and experience the world.^[1]

#organizations #leadership

See also:

• Visionaries and pragmatists are fundamentally different in how they think
• Visionaries alienate pragmatists in four ways
• People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it